He took off Devlin’s jacket and stared at it for a moment, biting his bottom lip.
He shouldn’t. It would be creepy. And wrong. He shouldn’t.
But…
Jules brought the jacket to his face and breathed in deeply. Fuck, it smelled so good, like the best thing in the world. He couldn’t get enough, breathing in the scent shakily like an addict inhaling his favorite drug. His body was tingling all over, warm, so very warm—in his heart, in his stomach, between his thighs. Needing. Wanting. He remembered how it felt to be wrapped in those strong arms, the feeling of being safe, protected. The scent of a man. An alpha.
Falling back against the door, Jules all but ripped his fly open and took his leaking cock into his hand. He stroked it, hard and fast, his face buried in Devlin’s jacket, until he finally came in long spurts, his slick hole pulsing around nothing.
Afterward, he felt so ashamed and guilty he couldn’t look at himself in the mirror.
Chapter 14
Devlin followed the Blakes’ butler into the drawing room, already feeling the tension in his temples ease in anticipation.
Truth be told, he hadn’t expected to enjoy courting an omega for PR reasons, but it had turned out to be surprisingly pleasant instead of irritating. His visits to the Blakes had been the highlight of his days lately—they were certainly better than all the careful political maneuvering he had to do the rest of the time. Not that marrying Liam Blake wouldn’t be a political decision—of course it would be—but at least he found the omega perfectly agreeable both in looks and demeanor. Liam was nowhere near as arrogant and vain as one might have expected from an omega of such exquisite beauty.
Besides, he liked Liam’s family.
The memory of Julian wrapped up in his jacket flashed to the forefront of his mind, making his fingers tingle, his claws itching to pop out.
Devlin glanced down at his hands with a frown, a little disturbed but unsurprised. Julian had a real knack for bringing out his protective instincts, which was both reassuring and irritating. It was reassuring because even he couldn’t completely ignore his designation’s needs. An alpha was a provider and protector by nature. The fact that Liam’s little brother pushed the protective buttons in him was good. It would make bonding to Liam easier. But those instincts were becoming too unpredictable. They were something he couldn’t control or plan for.
“Your Grace.” Liam rose from the couch gracefully and smiled at him. After a moment’s hesitation, he stretched his hand out, his wrist bared: an invitation to scent-mark him, a gesture that was a little familiar but perfectly proper for courting couples.
Devlin stared at the offered wrist before walking over and touching it with his fingers lightly. He had to concentrate to consciously exude the pheromones, because the instinct to scent-mark just wasn’t there.
“Liam,” he said, not allowing his displeasure and irritation to show on his face. What was wrong with him? He had a stunningly beautiful omega inviting him to scent-mark him and yet he had to force his alpha nature to cooperate.
Dropping Liam’s hand, he glanced at the couch in the corner where Julian was usually curled up with his tablet, but it was empty.
A wrinkle formed between his brows. “Your brother will not be joining us?”
“Jules isn’t feeling well, I’m afraid.”
“What’s wrong?” Devlin said. When Liam gave him a startled look, he realized that his voice had come out sharper than he had intended.
“I’m not sure,” Liam said, frowning slightly. “He said he feels under the weather, but he usually never gets sick, so…”
“Could it be because of his broken bond?”
Liam winced, glancing at the door warily. “Jules doesn’t like talking about it, Your Grace. I’m actually surprised he told you about the bond at all. It’s a… a very sensitive issue.”
Biting the inside of his cheek, Devlin looked away. It was none of his business. Julian’s former mate was obviously dead if the bond was broken. It was none of his business who they were or how Julian had met them.
“Did his bondmate die a long time ago?” he still found himself asking.
Liam hesitated for a moment. “Not a long time ago.”
“Why weren’t they married?”
What happened to that being none of your business?
Devlin grimaced on the inside. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure why the subject interested him so much. It just… didn’t sit well with him.
“I don’t think it’s my place to talk about it, Your Grace,” Liam said, avoiding his gaze.
Devlin stared at him, his instincts insisting that something was off. But he could hardly interrogate him. Besides, Liam was correct that his brother’s relationship wasn’t something they should be discussing.
“You’re right,” he said. “My apologies. Shall we? The race will start soon.”
Liam nodded with a smile, clearly relieved that Devlin had dropped the subject.